Casting Crowns returns to Topeka for Sunday night show

When Casting Crowns last came to town a couple of years ago, they packed the Topeka Performing Arts Center.

The Grammy- and Dove Award-winning Christian pop group will return to the capital city for another concert at 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 12, which again will take place at TPAC, 214 S.E. 8th.

Zach Williams, a Grammy Award-nominated singer known for his 2016 song "Chain Breaker" and his 2017 hit "Old Church Choir," will open for the group.

In a recent phone interview, Casting Crowns frontman Mark Hall said the band was looking forward to a return engagement in Topeka, saying "It’s good to finally get back."

As they have done since Casting Crowns became one of Christian music’s top acts with the release of their self-titled debut project in 2003, Hall and several band members continue to work as youth ministers at Eagle’s Landing First Baptist Church in McDonough, Ga.

Hall makes a point of being at the church to work with teens on Sundays through Wednesdays. Concerts typically are scheduled around the band’s church commitments.

Much of Hall’s songwriting material comes from his real-life encounters with the teens at the church. The group’s first album was among the fastest-selling of any debut project in Christian music history, and it continued to stay hot through 2004 and 2005.

It featured three major hits that resonated with fans and that still can be heard on Christian radio stations: "If We Are the Body," "Who Am I" and "Voice of Truth."

The group has recorded a number of other well-received tunes, such as "Lifesong," "Praise You in the Storm," "Glorious Day (Living He Loved Me)," "Does Anybody Hear Her?" and "Jesus, Friend of Sinners."

Hall was sidelined for a couple of months in 2015 after undergoing surgery in March of that year to remove his cancerous right kidney.

He was declared cancer-free, and after regaining his strength, he and his bandmates were performing concerts by the summer of 2015.

In its concerts, Casting Crowns has been able to introduce audiences to some of Christian music’s top up-and-coming artists.

In the group’s most recent performance in Topeka, in November 2015, the opening act was Lauren Daigle, who has soared to super-stardom in the world of Christian music in the intervening years.

This concert will introduce audiences to Williams, another up-and-coming artist. Hall said Williams has a great story to share, noting that "God’s brought him through a lot." He added that Williams’ band is "great."

Hall, who brings his family with him on the road, said the group’s songs center on the hope found in Christ, and that in the midst of life’s struggles and problems, that God wants to be involved in people’s lives.

"The message hasn’t changed," he said. "The message stays the same."

Tickets are $26 to $76. For more information, visit www.topekaperformingarts.org.

Contact Phil Anderson at
(785) 295-1195 or follow live reports @Philreports on Twitter. Like him on Facebook at facebook.com/philreports.tcj/

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